ACIP

A congressional fact of life is the dangerous “Christmas tree” bill, which passes with so much on it that many things don’t get the scrutiny they deserve. The 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law by President Obama on December 13, 2016, is such a bill.

States with higher rates of cervical cancer (CA) have significantly lower rates of vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV), according to data presented at a conference of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The influenza strains in the 2014-2015 flu vaccine will be the same as last year, which means that children aged 6 months to 8 years who had at least 1 dose of the 2013-2014 vaccine last season will need only 1 dose this season, according to updated recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since the days of Edward Jenner, the father of smallpox vaccine, there have been parents who have been vaccine hesitant, and at times vaccine refusers. After Benjamin Franklin’s son died of smallpox, he lamented the fact that he had prohibited his son from getting the smallpox vaccine due to his concerns over safety.

On October 24, 2012, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the CDC voted to recommend administering the tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) to pregnant women with every pregnancy, regardless of the women’s previous Tdap history.